Rockomax Adaptor Questions

[Darkeldar]

Do Rockomax adaptors only work one way?

In building my skycrane/rover launcher, I had inverted a 4-to-1 adaptor attempting to attach the big orange tank to the de-couplers at the bottom of my intermediate stage. On the launch pad, there is always a failure at this adaptor, like the parts are not really connected. I have everything strutted as much as possible, though it won't let me strut to or across the adaptor.

[Skorpychan]

Multiple parts don't tend to attach together, due to the way attaching parts works in KSP. Best use them when they don't need a connection at the bottom, and if you MUST use four engines on the middle stages, attach them as outriggers.

[Starwaster]

If you absolutely have to do it, you can work around the problem with docking adapters. Put your decouplers on. Then attach 4 docking ports. Then put 4 more inverted under those so that they will automatically dock when the rocket spawns in. Then put your adapter.

I have not done that myself but I've seen pictures of that setup on the forum.... so apparently it does work as described.

[thereaverofdarkness]

When you flip it over, only one of the four parts attaches. This is due to the way KSP follows the root module outward like tree branches to make connections. If you place the adapter upside down but over your root part, so that the single-port side is toward the root and the 4-part side is away, then it will attach to all 4.

Another thing you can do is use struts where it failed to attach.

[Jank]

Well I could be wrong and lucky, but I found it workable (single stack to multiple fuel tank with adapter, back to single engine with inverted adapter) when I flip the adapter over... AND remove the symmetry (shift-X) before placing it upside down on the bottom of the quad fuel tanks. Although, I had to run fuel lines from the tanks to one another and then to the engine, getting around the adapter by running the fuel lines to a modular girder mounted on the side of the fuel tanks. The adapters only seem to pass fuel one way, from one to many rather than many to one. But keep in mind I'm a total noob and this is my first post.

[Taki117]

Well I could be wrong and lucky, but I found it workable (single stack to multiple fuel tank with adapter, back to single engine with inverted adapter) when I flip the adapter over... AND remove the symmetry (shift-X) before placing it upside down on the bottom of the quad fuel tanks. Although, I had to run fuel lines from the tanks to one another and then to the engine, getting around the adapter by running the fuel lines to a modular girder mounted on the side of the fuel tanks. The adapters only seem to pass fuel one way, from one to many rather than many to one. But keep in mind I'm a total noob and this is my first post.

and a good one. This is exactly how the adapters work. They only allow fuel to flow from the single nodes into the multi-nodes, very useful for engine clustering without the small cubic octagonal struts.

[Azoth]

I personally use a dual or tri adapter with the respective number of nuclear engines as my interplanetary stage for some craft. I have one adapter on top to connect it to the fuel tank, and decouplers on the ends of the engines (often the engine fairings won't shot up on one or two engines, but if you rotate/flip the decoupler it should work) and then add an inverted adapter to all me to attach it to the lift/orbital stages. The fuel tanks are usual 3m for most of my designs so i also add size adapters. When building these you find struts are your friend haha.